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JVith the compliments of 

The General Thomas G. Stevenson 
Memorial Association 


























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EXERCISES AT THE PRESENTATION 

TO THE 

COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS 

OF A 

BRONZE RELIEF 

OF 

General Thomas G, Stevenson 

December 7, 1905 



PRINTED FOR THE MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION 
BOSTON, 1906 



t4q 
.1 



MM 
Author 

11 om 



ORIGIN OF THE MEMORIAL. 



ORIGIN OF THE MEMORIAL, 



There has been a feehng in this community 
ever since the close of the Civil War that a memorial 
of the late Brigadier-General Thomas G. Stevenson, 
who was killed in the battle of Spottsylvania, May 
10, 1864, when in command of the First Division 
of the Ninth Army Corps, should be erected here to 
mark the pubHc appreciation of the eminent ser- 
vices he had rendered to his country and of the 
noble character he bore. In the month of Febru- 
ary, 1905, a number of his old comrades and friends 
decided that the time for action had come. The 
movement was placed by them under the direction 
of the 24th Club, consisting of former officers of the 
24th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers, of which 

[5] 



General Stevenson was the first Colonel. A meet- 
ing of that Club was held on February 27, 1905, 
at which the subject was thoroughly considered, 
and the General Thomas G. Stevenson Memo- 
rial Association was organized. An Executive 
Committee, having full powers to raise funds for 
the purpose of erecting a memorial in the State 
House, was appointed, as follows: — 

Francis A. Osborn, President. 

Edward C. Richardson, Secretary. 

Charles B. Amory, Treasurer. 
Robert F. Clark. Frank G. Webster. 

Thomas F. Edmands. John Parkinson. 

James Thompson. Edward C. Johnson. 

Charles Hunt. 

It was also voted that the following circular 
be sent out, signed by all the Executive Commit- 
tee: 

16] 



THE GENERAL THOMAS G. STEVENSON MEMO- 
RIAL ASSOCIATION. 

The survivors of the New England Guards, 
the Fourth Battalion of Infantry, the 24th 
Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers, and the 
44th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers, with 
their friends, purpose erecting at the entrance at 
the Hall of the Flags, at the State House, a hand- 
some High Relief in bronze of General Thomas 
G. Stevenson, and a committee has been appointed 
to secure funds for this object. The cost of this 
memorial will be upwards of $5,000. 

The committee are desirous that all the old 
soldiers who served with General Stevenson, and 
old friends who also hold him in affectionate remem- 
brance, should have an opportunity to aid in this 
memorial work. Contributions of any amount will 
be thankfully received and gratefully acknowledged, 
and may be sent to the treasurer of this association 
direct, or through the respective treasurers of the 
several organizations named. 

[7] 



RESOLVE OF THE GENERAL COURT. 

The first step to take was to obtain authority 
to place the memorial in the State House where it 
would naturally belong. Upon application to the 
General Court the following Resolve was passed: 

RESOLVE RELATIVE TO A MEMORIAL TO GEN- 
ERAL THOMAS GREELY STEVENSON. 

Resolved^ That the Governor and Council, if 
they deem it advisable, be authorized to accept and 
place in the State House a memorial to the late 
General Thomas Greely Stevenson, to be pre- 
sented to the Commonwealth by his comrades in 
the Civil War. Approved March 15, 1905. 

Subsequently the officers of the Association had 
a conference with Mr. Beia L. Pratt, a sculptor 
of this city, who had demonstrated his artistic 
ability, and had gained great credit, by various 
important works of art, with the view of inviting 
him to make a sketch model of a high relief in the 



likeness of General Stevenson, that being the form 
which it was desired that the memorial should take. 

ACTION OF THE GOVERNOR AND COUNCIL. 

On March 22d the Governor and Council gave 
a hearing to the officers of the Association at which 
the latter presented the following letter: — 

Boston, Mass., March 22, 1905. 
To His Excellency, the Governor, and the Hon- 
orable Council. 
The Subscribers respectfully ask that the East- 
ern white marble panel in the Staircase Hall on 
the column at the entrance to the Memorial Hall 
of the State House be granted to their permanent 
use for the erection of a bronze memorial figure of 
Brigadier-General Thomas Greeiy Stevenson of 
Boston, killed in action May 10, 1864, at Spottsyl- 
vania, Va., while commanding a Division of the 
Ninth Corps, Army of the Potomac. 

The General Thomas G. Stevenson 
Memorial Association, 
BY Francis A. Osborn, President. 

[9] 



Mr. Bela L. Pratt was also present on this oc- 
casion and exhibited a sketch model of the relief 
which he desired to furnish. The model was 
spirited and dignified, and met the approval of all. 

On March 24 the following letter was received 
in reply: — 

Boston, Mass., March 24, 1905. 
Dear Sir, — I have the honor to inform you that 
at a meeting of the Governor and Council held on 
the 22d inst. the application of your Association for 
permission to locate a bronze memorial figure of 
General Stevenson in the Staircase Hall, on the 
column at the entrance to Memorial Hall, was ap- 
proved. 

Yours very truly, 

E. F. Hamlin, 

Executive Secretary. 

Gen. Francis A. Osborn, President 
The Gen. Thomas G. Stevenson Memorial Association. 



EXECUTION OF THE RELIEF. 

The permission for the desired location having 
thus been obtained and the necessary funds having 
been subscribed, the Association on March 27, 
authorized its President and Treasurer to enter 
into a contract with Mr. Pratt to execute, in bronze 
of the best quaHty, the reHef of which he had 
exhibited the model. The contract was signed 
on the same day, and Mr. Pratt went promptly to 
work upon the full-size figure, assuring the officers 
that he would have the bronze in readiness to erect 
in its place by the following December. 

The casting was successfully accomplished by 
the Gorham Manufacturing Company at Provi- 
dence, R.I., during the summer, and the relief 
was placed in position in the State House during 
November, 1905. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE RELIEF. 

The bronze relief of the late General Thomas 
G. Stevenson is a little over life size, full length,, 
and represents the General as coming toward the 
observer, field-glasses in hand. He has taken them 
from his eyes, as he strides forward to get the broader 
view of the unaided vision. It has been the intention 
of the sculptor to represent General Stevenson at 
the height of one of his campaigns, and to give to 
the face and figure some feeling of the tense strain 
of actual warfare. It has also been his aim to 
keep the relief in harmony with its surroundings, 
and in form, color, and line make it part of the 
wall of the building upon which it is placed. 

The branches of the tree suggest "The Wilder- 
ness" where the General's last battle was fought,, 
and at the same time fill out the composition of 
the relief as a whole, and seem somewhat to suggest 
in the bronze the veins in the surrounding wall 

[^3l 



of Siena marble, and these add to the unity of 
effect. The orderly and the horse are used for 
much the same purpose, being kept very low in 
relief, and quite subordinate to the figure of General 
Stevenson. 

The whole is cast in a light-colored bronze, and 
has a gray-green finish which is quite in tone with 
its surroundings. 

PRESENTATION TO THE COMMONWEALTH. 

By an agreement between the authorities of the 
State and the officers of the Association the yth 
of December was fixed as the day upon which the 
ceremonies of dedication should take place. On 
that day there assembled at the State House a 
gathering of men and women from all walks of 
life, who were eager to show the respect and affection 
they had felt for their friend when in life, and to 
do honor to his memory. The numbers were so 

[14] 



great that they completely filled the Hall and over- 
flowed into Memorial Hall, although no public 
announcement of the occasion had been made, 
and only these were present who had received in- 
vitation, as vitally interested, or who had sought 
it on their own behalf. 

At 1.30 o'clock the band of the 5th Regiment, 
M. V. M., of which Mr. John Morley Flockton 
is bandmaster, began a selection of musical airs 
appropriate to the occasion, giving great satisfaction 
by their spirited performance. At 2 o'clock promptly 
the bugle-call was sounded, being the first number 
on the programme of the exercises, which read as 
follows : — 



[15] 



EXERCISES OF DEDICATION 

OF THE 

BRONZE SCULPTURED RELIEF 

OF THE LATE 

BRIGADIER-GENERAL THOMAS G. STEVENSON 

IN THE 

GRAND STAIRCASE HALL 

OF THE STATE HOUSE 

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7, I905, 

AT 2 o'clock P.m. 



1. Bugle-call. 

2. Presentation of the Memorial to the Common- 

wealth. 

3. Unveiling. 

4. Music, "Hail to the Chief." 

5. Acceptance on behalf of the Commonwealth. 

Hon. Wm. M. Olin, Secretary of the Common- 
wealth. 

6. Music, Selection from "I Lombardi." Verdi. 

7. Prayer, Rev. Edward A. Horton, Chaplain of 

the day. 

8. Memorial Address, General Francis A. Osborn. 

9. Music, "America," in which the audience is 

requested to join. 

10. Benediction. 

[16] 



PRESENTATION ADDRESS. 



PRESENTATION ADDRESS. 



It has in all times been the custom to hold in 
honor the memory of those who have given their 
lives for their country. And well may it be so. 
For, if there were lacking that devoted patriotism 
that is ready to make the greatest sacrifices for the 
highest good of the whole, the ties that hold men 
together in nations would loosen, and civilization 
would fail. • 

Animated with that feeling, a number of our 
fellow-citizens have desired to establish in permanent 
form and in public place a worthy memorial of 
a gallant Massachusetts officer of the Volunteer 
Forces of the United States, who fell in the Civil 
War, whose character and life commanded their 
respect and attracted their love, and whose un- 

[19I 



timely death filled them with a sense of loss which 
time has not had the power to dispel. 

To that end they commissioned Mr. Bela L. 
Pratt, a sculptor of this Commonwealth, of high 
ability and repute, to model for casting in enduring 
bronze a relief in the likeness of their hero. The 
task has been happily accomplished, and a noble 
work of art has resulted. By the kind permission 
of his Excellency, the Governor, and the Honorable 
Council it has been placed in position in this Hall, 
in close proximity to the glorious flag he loved and 
followed. 

It is now, sir, my honorable duty and my great 
pleasure, on behalf of the donors, to present to the 
Commonwealth of Massachusetts this noble mem- 
orial of one of her illustrious sons, who died on 
the field of honor. General Thomas Greely Stev- 
enson. 



When, at the conclusion of the presentation, 
the name of General Stevenson was uttered by the 
speaker, the American flag, which had been draped 
over the relief, was released by Thomas G. Ste- 
venson, a namesake of General Stevenson and son 
of his brother. General Robert H. Stevenson. At 
that moment the band burst out with the inspiring 
strains of "Hail to the Chief," and the audience 
rose and remained standing until their close. 



[21] 



ACCEPTANCE OF THE MEMORIAL 
ON BEHALF OF THE COMMONWEALTH. 

BY 

Hon. William M. Olin, Secretary. 



SECRETARY OLIN'S ACCEPT- 
ANCE. 



\ 



General Osborn, Ladies and Gentlemen, — I hope 
I shall not too seriously offend your sense of good 
taste if I say a single personal word. It was my 
fortune during the war to serve in the ranks of a 
Massachusetts regiment belonging to the Second 
Division of the Ninth Army Corps, which stood 
on the firing line at the Wilderness and Spottsyl- 
vania Court-house, with the First Division of that 
corps, commanded by the gallant Stevenson. As a 
member of the Grand Army of the Republic, I am 
affiliated with that post of the Department of Massa- 
chusetts which bears the full name of him whose 
memory we honor to-day. It is therefore with 
peculiar gratification that I stand in this presence 
as the representative of our Commonwealth. 

This pictured bronze seems to me to commem- 
[25] 



orate both a public affliction and a public blessing. 
It commemorates an affliction in the loss of a life 
which had just blossomed into the full power of 
a splendid manhood. It commemorates a bless- 
ing in the example which that life has shown of 
absolute devotion, aye, of consecration to the highest 
ideals of American citizenship. We have often 
heard how the Spartan mother, sending her son 
to battle, handed him his shield, and bade him bear 
it with honor to victory or be borne back lifeless 
upon it. So Massachusetts sent forth to sacred 
strife this true child of her loins; but no need was 
there for the traditional injunction. Bravely he 
bore his shield on many a bloody field, and he was 
smitten by the hand of death in the forefront of 

the fight. 

" His country asked his life. 
His life he gave." 

Home they brought him, slain, to receive the 

honors due to those who have sustained the supreme 

[26] 



test of patriotism. Forty years he has slept at 
beautiful Mount Auburn, where on every Memorial 
Day, year after year, his comrades of the Grand 
Army kneel and lay upon his resting-place fragrant 
tributes of their undying love. 

And novs^, sir, the Commonvv^ealth accepts this 
memorial, her eyes bedimmed with tears, but her 
heart glowing with pride that so noble a son is 
hers, and with gratitude that his memory is thus 
to be kept alive for the inspiration of those to whom 
we must look in the years to come for the upholding 
of the Massachusetts standard of clean personal 
character and self-sacrificing devotion to the public 
welfare. 



27 



MEMORIAL ADDRESS 

BY 

General Francis A. Osborn.. 






ADDRESS. 

We assemble on this historic spot to-day, more 
than forty years after the close of the Great Civil 
War, not for the purpose of rehearsing the events of 
that w^ar. or of reviving its passions, but to com- 
memorate a noble soul that, amid the thunder of 
one of its dread battles, passed through glory's gate 
into eternity to receive the reward of the faithful. 

It is a blessed privilege given to man that he 
should have the faculty of preserving the memory 
of his loved ones. And it is at once a solace and 
an inspiration to recall their virtues, their kindly 
nature, their heroic traits, and their unselfish de- 
votion to friendship, country, and honor. 

It is then good for us to be here. I invite you 
[31] 



to pass a few moments in considering the character 
of the late Brigadier-General Thomas Greely Ste- 
venson, whose counterfeit presentment in enduring 
bronze has just been unveiled. I shall devote but 
little attention to what he did. My aim and my 
earnest desire is to depict as well as my feeble words 
will permit the greatness, force, and charm of his 
character. 

Thomas G. Stevenson was born in Boston, Feb- 
ruary 3, 1836. His father was J. Thomas Stevenson, 
who was of an old Boston family and filled an 
honored position as one of the leading men of this 
city, holding many places of trust and honor, a 
man of high character, of tried ability and genial 
manners, universally looked up to and respected. 
His mother was Hannah Hooper Stevenson, a 
member of a prominent Marblehead family, and a 
woman of great force of character and affectionate 
nature. She was a grand-daughter of General 

[3^1 



John Glover, a gallant officer of the Revolution,, 
v^ho distinguished himself in many actions, whose 
statue lends dignity to Commonwealth Avenue. 
Truly, General Stevenson was fortunate in his. 
ancestry, from whom can be traced many of the 
attractive characteristics which so greatly endeared 
him to his friends. 

He was educated in the Boston common schools, 
finishing at the Public Latin School. From there 
he w^ent into a merchant's counting-room, and 
later into the service of the Boston & Lowell Rail- 
road Company, where he was in April, 1861, at the 
breaking out of the Civil War. He had already 
shown an aptitude and liking for military matters,, 
and was at that time a sergeant in the New England 
Guards, a militia company of Boston, which dated 
its existence from 1812, and had since that time 
held a conspicuous and distinguished position in 
the volunteer militia of this Commonwealth. 

[33] 



The great wave of patriotic excitement which 
swept over this community in the winter and spring 
of 1 86 1 had such a stimulating effect upon that 
corps that it asked and obtained permission of the 
proper authorities to recruit another company, and 
with it form an independent battaHon under the 
name of the Fourth Battalion, M. V. M., under the 
command of Major George H. Gordon. The en- 
thusiasm of the young men of that day was so great 
that the ranks of the new company were speedily filled. 

Upon its organization there was never for a 
moment a question who should be its commander. 
Sergeant Stevenson's popularity was so great, and 
his ability so well recognized, that his election as 
captain was a foregone conclusion, and was enthusi- 
astically and unanimously accomplished. A little 
later Major Gordon resigned from the battalion 
to take command of the 2d Regiment Massachu- 
setts Volunteers, which, under his command and 

[34] 



that of his successors, served with such distinction 
and gathered such abundant laurels. To fill the 
vacancy thus created, Captain Stevenson was elected 
Major with the enthusiastic approval of the entire 
command. 

The battalion was on the day of the election 
garrisoning Fort Independence in Boston Harbor. 
It had been sent there by the State authorities a 
few days before to protect the fort, whose only 
occupant had been an ordnance sergeant of the 
United States Army, from a possible sudden raid 
of the enemy. It remained in those quarters 
from April 25 to May 25, just thirty days. Here 
Major Stevenson at once saw his opportunity to 
employ his remarkable capability for leadership^ 
He had his command under the most favorable 
circumstances. It was composed of picked men^ 
young, vigorous, intelligent, loyal, and enthusiastic. 
They were cooped up in a fort upon an island, 

L35] 



away from the city and the distractions of business 
and pleasure. Their time was to be wholly given 
up to military drill and military duties. They were 
happy in having a hand in the great work of the 
day, even in so humble a capacity. They looked 
upon this tour of duty as the first step toward the 
consummation of their desire to serve their country 
in the field, and were eager to fit themselves for 
that service. And, to crown all, they were devoted 
to their young commander with a heartfelt admira- 
tion that made any duty light which he had ordered, 
and caused their desire to gain his approval to be 
a most effective incentive to faithfulness. 

Major Stevenson was just the man to utilize 
to the utmost such material and such opportunity. 
The result demonstrated his high capacity as an or- 
ganizer and disciplinarian. During the thirty days 
the discipline of the fort was based on regular army 
methods, and the instruction was persistent and 

[36] 



thorough. The work was hard, but it was under- 
taken with cheerfulness by officers and men, all 
animated with the same hearty spirit. The effect 
was visible from day to day, and was conspicuously 
shown on May 25, that beautiful day on which 
the battalion, having been relieved by other troops, 
left Fort Independence, and returned to the city. 
As it marched through the streets, filled with crowds 
as vast and as enthusiastic as those which in those 
days assembled to bid God-speed to the regiments 
departing for the seat of war, its splendid soldierly 
bearing and its precision and promptness of move- 
ment bore striking testimony to the ability and skill 
of its young commander, who had in thirty short 
days fashioned this body of men, a large proportion 
of whom were new recruits, into a thoroughly drilled 
and disciplined organization, universally recognized 
as the finest militia body that had ever been seen in 
Boston. 

I37I 



The value to the country of the training there 
given is shown by the fact that at least one hun- 
dred and fifty of these young men, by far the largest 
part of those who served in Fort Independence, 
received commissions in the volunteer army, and 
carried with them there the thorough instruction 
and the high ideas of faithful devotion to duty that 
had been instilled into them in the New England 
Guards. They filled all grades of the service from 
second lieutenant to general officer, and everywhere 
made their honorable mark and became centres 
from which radiated the best influences for building 
up a brave and worthy soldiery. Had our friend 
rendered no other service, he would in that work 
have accomplished more than can be measured 
toward the efficient conduct of the war and the 
achievement of its successful result. It is well 
recognized that every life has its effect upon its associ- 
ates, and thus to a greater or less extent upon the 

[38] 



world, but it is rare indeed to be able to trace so 
clearly and so widely as we can in this instance the 
vitalizing and elevating influence of one faithful souL 
Major Stevenson had his heart in this militia 
service, and felt that for the time he was doing the 
best he could for the good of the country, but he 
never for a moment thought of limiting his useful- 
ness to so narrow a field. From the day of the attack 
on Fort Sumter he had been resolved to go to the 
war, and immediately upon his return to Boston 
from the fort he offered his services to Governor 
Andrew. The Governor, knowing his ability and 
his worth, welcomed him gladly, and tendered him 
at once the commission of colonel of a regiment 
that was then recruiting. But Major Stevenson 
had given deep and careful thought to the situation,, 
and had clear-cut ideas of the way he could make 
his services more valuable. The exigencies of the 
early days of the war when this occurred had com- 

[39] 



pelled the State authorities in many cases to accept 
companies hastily gathered together and formed into 
regiments, with inexperienced officers and with small 
opportunity for drill, instruction, and discipline 
before going into the field. All honor to the noble 
men who were willing in their patriotic devotion 
to encounter the risks of war, magnified by such 
unfortunate surroundings! 

But our friend thought that, as there was no 
lack of men offering themselves to go to the front 
under those circumstances, he could accomplish 
a much better result by remaining true to his con- 
victions, and waiting a while until he could carry 
out the plan based upon his matured thought. 
Governor Andrew heartily approved his method, 
but regretted that circumstances forbade giving 
him immediate authority to raise a regiment in the 
manner he desired. He promised, however, that 
he would do so as soon as the pressing need for the 

[40] 



prompt despatch of troops should have diminished. 
Major Stevenson therefore passed the summer in 
Boston, giving all the time he could snatch from 
active business to the task of instructing, disciplin- 
ing, and inspiring the young men under his com- 
mand, and further extending his patriotic influence, 
which formed such an important factor in the life 
of Boston in those days. At the same time he did 
not fail to keep in close touch with Governor 
Andrew, who manifested a lively interest in him, 
and never wavered in his determination to give him 
the chance he coveted. 

At length on the 31st of August Governor An- 
drew sent for him, and gave him permission to raise, 
by a regular system of recruiting, a regiment, the 
24th Massachusetts Volunteers, of which he should 
be the Colonel, and further showed his own great 
confidence in his experience and good judgment 
by allowing him to nominate his oflicers. 

[41] 



The time for action had happily now come. It 
had been ardently anticipated and carefully pre- 
pared for. That very night he notified a large 
number of the young men, who were eager to serve 
under him, of the commissions they were respect- 
ively to receive, and gave them instructions for 
raising men. That was on Saturday, and on Mon- 
day morning these young appointees opened recruit- 
ing stations in the places of their choice, and com- 
menced vigorous operations. From this time 
Colonel Stevenson devoted himself to the task of 
shaping and moulding the raw material daily 
received in the camp into a compact, well-drilled, 
and well-disciplined regiment, that should do 
honor to the Commonwealth and justify the prin- 
ciples upon which it was organized. The happy 
result was that on the 9th of the following Decem- 
ber, when he left for the seat of war, he found him- 
self at the head of a command whose soldierly 

[42] 



bearing made it appear a veteran corps, and not the 
creation of a few short months. This was due 
to his conscientious devotion to duty, his skill in 
organizing, his excellent judgment in selecting his 
subordinates, and his remarkable power of inspiring 
officers and men alike with his own enthusiasm, and 
of arousing in them a warm admiration and regard 
for himself personally. 

The high appreciation of his merits was not 
confined to his subordinates, but was shared in full 
measure by his superiors and by all brother officers 
with whom he came into communication. Having 
been ordered with his regiment to Annapolis to 
form a part of the Burnside Expedition, he became 
a once a prime favorite at Division and Brigade 
Headquarters. His knowledge of his duties, his 
efficiency and promptness, and his good sense gave 
them confidence in him as a commander, and his 
genial and sympathetic nature called forth a respon- 

[43] 



sive feeling on their part which at once put them on 
the mutual footing of old friends. 

Very soon after the arrival of the Expedition at 
Newbern he was detailed to command the Second 
Brigade of General John G. Foster's Division. 
He filled that position with distinguished success 
until December, 1862, when he received the United 
States commission of Brigadier-General of Volun- 
teers, and was by that act officially separated 
from his regiment. That caused him great regret, 
for his heart was wrapped up in his first command, 
and it w^as an affliction to him to feel he was no 
longer a part of it. To be sure, he had not acted 
as its Colonel for many months, but he had retained 
the rank and the connection, and had had it in his 
brigade, and so still under his command. It was 
a natural regret, and one that was creditable both 
to him and the regiment. He had the good fortune, 
however, to keep it with him for a long time thereafter. 

1 44] 



While in command of the 24th Regiment, he 
participated in the battles of Roanoke Island and 
Newbern, and received on each occasion compli- 
mentary notice in the reports of his Brigade Com- 
mander, General John G. Foster. Such notice from 
him was of no mean significance, for General Foster 
was a West Point graduate, rendered distinguished 
service in the Mexican War, was the second in com- 
mand in Fort Sumter when it was attacked in 
April, 1 86 1, was the life and soul of the defence of 
that place, and had a keen eye for soldierly merit 
and a frank and vigorous tongue to speak his honest 
thought. 

While at Newbern, General Stevenson bore an 
important part in the movements toward Tarboro 
and toward Goldsboro and the resulting engage- 
ments, and in the other expeditions that were sent 
out from that base, which, though seeming insig- 
nificant when compared with the mighty events 

[45] 



occurring in the great drama which then filled 
the stage, had a value and importance of their 
own, and called for the qualities of head and 
heart for which he was conspicuous, and served to 
confirm the enviable reputation he had already 
acquired. 

In January, 1863, General John G. Foster, hav- 
ing received what he supposed to be full assurance 
that he would be allowed to take command of the 
operations against Fort Sumter, and rejoicing in 
the opportunity to attempt to recapture that strong- 
hold from which he, as a subordinate, had been 
compelled by his superior's surrender to depart 
at the beginning of the war, embarked at Newbern 
with the greater part of the troops stationed there, 
and proceeded to Hilton Head in South Carolina, 
the Headquarters of the Department of the South. 
General Stevenson, with his brigade, formed a 
part of that force. The political influence, however, 

[46I 



of General David Hunter, who then commanded 
that Department, though without ever having accom- 
plished any valuable result, was too powerful, and 
General Foster was obliged to abandon the object 
. of his heart's desire, and return to Newbern, leaving 
his troops behind him. 

During the preparation for the attempt to capture 
Fort Sumter, General Stevenson was sent with his 
brigade to Seabrook Island to fortify it and secure 
the ironclads, then lying in the narrow Edisto 
Inlet, from harassing artillery fire by the land forces 
of the enemy. From that point he was ordered to 
James Island, where he repelled an onslaught of 
the enemy, thence to Morris Island, reaching there 
just in time to participate in the ill-fated assault of 
Fort Wagner on July i8, 1863. Upon that occasion 
General Stevenson's brigade was the third in column, 
and was the only organized force on the island after 
the other two brigades had been repulsed. 

[47] 



The commanding general had planned the at- 
tack, with singular ill-judgment, to take place just 
as night was falling, so that when our assaulting 
columns, having failed to carry the fort, were com- 
pelled to retire, they fell into great confusion by 
reason of the darkness which prevented their rallying 
promptly around their colors and their officers, and 
they were for a time merely a mass of armed men, 
without order or coherence and useless for attack 
or defence. General Stevenson, upon whom fell 
the burden of maintaining our hold on Morris 
Island, with his usual promptness and vigor made 
the necessary dispositions to repel the sortie of the 
enemy, with which he supposed they would naturally 
follow up their advantage; but the night passed 
without any offensive operations, except a furious 
artillery fire from Wagner, Sumter, and the forts 
surrounding Charleston Harbor. 

From this time General Gillmore, who was then 
[48] 



in command of the Department of the South, con- 
tented himself with siege operations against Wagner, 
opening regular approaches and carrying his fatal 
trenches nearer and nearer to the doomed fort, 
whose fall was only a matter of time, and was really 
effected September 6, 1863. That obstacle having 
been removed, our forces were advanced to the 
northern point of Morris Island and our batteries 
were planted on the spot from which the South 
fired the first gun of the war, — that gun which 
resounded through the North, and aroused all its; 
loyalty, its devotion, and its determination. All 
our batteries, both of land and water, were now di- 
rected against Sumter, the historic fort, and vigorous 
efforts were put forth to render it untenable, and to* 
batter down its walls and make it practicable for 
assault, but the mighty missiles that would have splin- 
tered and shattered granite seemed to have but a feeble 
effect upon the humble brick of which it was built. 

[49J 



Through all this weary period of the siege Gen- 
eral Stevenson, while burdened with work and anx- 
iety, advanced his already high reputation for ability 
and efficiency, securing and retaining in a high de- 
gree the confidence of his superior officers and the 
affection and implicit trust of his troops. But 
during the early months of 1864 his health gave 
way under his unremitting labor, and he was obliged 
to return to Boston on sick leave. At that time 
General Grant was making his plans for the great 
movements which took place in the following sum- 
mer. General Burnside who commanded the 
Ninth Corps, having a lively remembrance of 
General Stevenson and appreciating fully his high 
character and his value as a commander, made ap- 
plication to have him assigned to duty in that corps. 
His request was granted, and General Steven- 
son was directed to report to General Burnside, 
who put him in command of his First Division. The 

[50] 



Ninth Corps came up to the Army of the Potomac 
on May 6, in time to take part in the hard-fought 
and bloody battle of the Wilderness and subsequent 
desperate engagements. Now for the first time 
General Stevenson occupied a position where he 
could exercise his abilities on a large scale and show 
how the thought, the study, and the experience 
of nearly three years in active service in war had 
developed and matured his native capacity. High 
hopes were entertained of his future, and fond an- 
ticipation predicted brilliant achievements. Had he 
lived, they would have been realized, and he would 
have taken rank as one of the historic generals 
of the war, having a national reputation. But, 
alas! the opportunity was but a brief one. On the 
loth of the month, in the battle of Spottsylvania, 
when he had been but a few days at the head of his 
Division, he was shot, and instantly killed. 

Thus was cut untimely off a noble life, in the 
[5O 



vigor of youth, full of patriotic zeal, and charged 
with capacity for brilliant service in his country's 
cause. The measure of the loss cannot be estimated, 
but the deep grief felt by his comrades is a matter 
of bitter memory. By the nation would be missed 
the gallant, brave, and thorough soldier, with 
his clear good sense, his calm judgment, his military 
ability, and his conscientious devotion to its ser- 
vice; but friends mourned the joyous comrade, the 
warm-hearted, faithful friend, and the true man. 
Thank God that such men live! Even though 
they walk among us for but a few short years, they 
exalt our confidence in the noble capacity of human 
nature, and furnish an example and a lofty inspira- 
tion to all who know them. 

Of General Stevenson's capacity as an officer 
and commander of men I cannot speak too highly. 
Whether or not he would have developed that rare 
military talent which makes high and independent 

[5^] 



command illustrious, I cannot decide, for he was 
never brought to the test of experience; but I am 
happy in the behef that the man who had risen from 
grade to grade by merit, had ever filled each new 
position with ability and with credit, and had always 
been found equal to every emergency, would have 
made an honorable mark in any place of responsi- 
bility to which he might be called. 

From the moment he entered the service his 
heart was in his work, and he devoted all the energies 
of an active and intelligent mind to giving to his be- 
loved country the best and all there was in him. 
He did not take up the profession of arms from 
a desire for military glory, — he cared nothing for 
it. But, when he saw his country's peril, he felt 
that no sacrifice in repelling the danger would be too 
great, and he would not have shrunk back, had he 
known that the last full measure of devotion that he 
finally paid was inevitable. He was filled with 

[53] 



that lofty courage that fully realizes danger, but 
nevertheless faces it calmly, upborne by the high 
sense of duty that steels the heart and exalts 
the mind and banishes all thought of consequences. 
With that spirit he entered upon the duties of the 
important office of Colonel of the 24th Regiment 
Massachusetts Volunteers. He realized from the 
very beginning that the lives, health, and welfare of 
the men of his command were under his charge, 
and measurably subject to his control, and he made 
it a study how he could best perform his responsible 
duties. Without the training of a professional 
officer to guide him through the difficulties of his 
arduous task and to guard him against mistakes, 
he supplied its place with assiduous study of the 
requirements of his position, prompted and stim- 
ulated by a deep sense of responsibility, with the 
good judgment that quickly seized upon the best 
means for accomplishing results, and above all and 

[54] 



more than all with that consecrated devotion to 
duty that thought no effort too great for attaining 
success, and considered nothing done to that end 
so long as anything remained to be done. 

That he organized a regiment that was a credit 
to this Commonwealth and received the warmest 
encomiums from all the general officers under whom 
it served was not a matter of chance or of good 
luck. The regiment was composed of fine material, 
of picked men drawn from all parts of the State; but 
even that was a part of his plan formed before a single 
man was recruited, and, therefore, was to his credit. 
But good men, brave men, do not of themselves 
make a good regiment. It is needful that they be 
welded into a compact mass, completely subservient 
to the will of their commander, full of faith in him 
and pervaded with his enthusiasm. To achieve 
that result is the office of discipline, which I under- 
stand to be the inspiring of the members of a com- 

[55] 



mand with such a deep sense of their obHgation 
to the service and to their punctual and faithful 
performance of their duty therein that they give 
themselves up to the v^ill of their superiors, and obey 
their behests almost automatically. 

General Stevenson was eminently fitted to estab- 
lish and maintain that form of discipline that sub- 
dued his command to implicit and cheerful obedience 
without crushing the individuals under a sense of 
irritating control. He was in no sense a martinet. 
He did not love power for its own sake, and he 
never used it wantonly, but he thoroughly understood 
that discipline is the basis of all efficiency, and that 
any army without it is nothing better than a mob. 
While insisting on obedience, promptness, punctu- 
ality, and faithfulness, he carefully avoided petty 
restrictions and unnecessary constraint. He sym- 
pathized with his men, and realized that nothing 
was more important for carrying on the war than 

[56I 



the need that those who were to do the fighting 
should be maintained in full vigor and in good 
spirits. Thoughtless of himself, ever thoughtful 
of others, he gave unremitting care to the welfare 
of the men, and postponed attention to his personal 
wants until he was sure he had done for them every- 
thing in his power. They on their side soon came 
to realize the kind spirit which underlay the strict 
discipline that was enforced, and to recognize that 
their commander exercised his authority not from 
a love of power or pride of office, but in the simple 
performance of his duty to make his command the 
most efficient possible instrument of war, and that, 
too, always with the keen appreciation that the 
body he was fashioning into the perfect shape was 
composed not of automatons, but of fellow-soldiers, 
his brethren in a great cause. With the intelligence, 
good sense, firmness, and patience that were his 
marked characteristics, animated with the kindly 

[57] 



and sympathetic spirit I have described, the task 
of deaHng with such excellent material as presented 
itself was to him an easy one, and the effect of his 
efforts became apparent even when the recruits that 
had been sent in to the camp of instruction consisted 
only of squads of men who a few days previously 
had not known the meaning of a military order. The 
foundations were at that time laid broad and deep, 
and the superstructure that he built on them bore 
conclusive testimony to the wisdom of his methods 
and the efficiency of his efforts. Though he re- 
mained only a part of a year with the regiment 
before he was called to higher command, he in that 
time so impressed his spirit upon it that it always 
bore the stamp of his genius, always looked up to 
him with affectionate regard, and rejoiced to con- 
tinue under his command as Brigadier-General. 

It is a fact of the utmost significance that the 
rest of the troops of the brigade, among whom were 

[58] 



included the gallant 44th Massachusetts Volunteer 
Militia, so well and favorably known and honored 
in Boston, conceived for him at once the same cordial 
feeling, the same confidence in his capacity and his 
faithfulness, and the same loyal devotion to his 
service. Never was a brigade more devoted to its 
commander, more reposeful in its trust in him. 

It is difficult to convey to one who never knew 
our friend whom we commemorate in this noble 
and impressive bronze the charm that pervaded 
him, the influence he exerted over those who came 
in contact with him, and the aff'ection he attracted 
from one and all, whatever might be the relation they 
bore to him, whether of friend, superior, or sub- 
ordinate. In any gathering when his personality 
had play, he was easily first, and was the centre 
around which others revolved. And this without 
any assumption on his part, or any effort to create 
such an effect, for his modesty was as conspicuous 

[59] 



a characteristic as his abihty. His native force 
of character, the self-poise that held him equal to 
any emergency, the broad mind that took a calm 
survey of every situation, the cool judgment that 
guided him unerringly through all difficulties, the 
strength he displayed in every position in which he 
v^as placed, commanded universal respect, and 
would of themselves alone have made him a marked 
man, and a favorite. 

But what endeared him to all, what aroused a 
tenderness and a depth of feeling that a man rarely 
feels for one of his own sex, was his warmth of heart, 
the cordiality of his friendship, his frank and open 
character, his transparent sincerity, his generous 
appreciation of the good qualities of others, the 
modesty to which I have already referred, the abso- 
lute freedom from any trace of affectation or self- 
assertion, and the sense of humor that made him 
ever a cheery companion. He was a true, earnest, 

[60] 



and faithful friend, and, as a natural and necessary 
result, he made friends and kept them. 

For forty-one years his mortal remains have 
lain in the grave, but to his friends his memory is 
to this day as fresh and green as if they had parted 
with him but yesterday. For the most of mortals 
the sad lament, "Are we then so soon forgotten 
when we are dead.?" must be uttered with a con- 
viction of the truth it bears, but our loved departed 
comrade belongs to that limited and illustrious 
company of rare souls whose memory wells up in 
the hearts of their friends like a living spring pouring 
out its clear, sparkling, and refreshing stream in 
never-ceasinp; flow. 



[6i] 



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